Friday, October 30, 2015

Remember back when you were in school and grades were so important? Well, maybe they weren't important to you, but they definitely were to the teachers! With five kids in school we hear about grades quite a bit these days. Those kids that do get good grades are praised for being so smart but those that don't are badgered and put down for not trying.

Personally, I think our school system doesn't do a very good job of judging how smart someone is. I think everyone is smart in some area. One of our kids can read people very well. He is very intuitive about how people think and why they do what they do. Another one is very good at finding lost items because he has an eye for detail. Unfortunately no one ever grades you on those things. Have you seen this cartoon before?

Isn't that the way it is? It makes our job as parents a lot tougher because while we know our child is smart, the school tests ask all the wrong questions, so the child who isn't school-smart always feels like they're dumb. It's kind of sad.

I wish that in about the eighth grade the school would sit down with the parents and child and figure out where the child's talents lie, and then have different career tracks in high school to prepare the child for life. But since they don't we have to be more proactive in helping our kids realize what area they are smart in and what talents God has given them, so they can figure out what type of work they would enjoy in life.

Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.

Monday, October 26, 2015

Our harvesting is done and our wheat is planted! We are thankful to God for giving us a good harvest this year. He has blessed us in so many ways. I really enjoy farm life, and one of the reasons is because we live so close to the land. We are completely dependent on God to send us rain at the right times.

I decided to delete my Facebook account. It was just getting to be too much, if you know what I mean.

The trees are getting bare around here, the leaves that are left are mostly just brown now.

I am really looking forward to Christmas this year! I am playing Christmas music already. For a change I'm going to put my Christmas village under the tree this year.

We are going to make a trip out to Colorado to visit family pretty soon, so we are all looking forward to that. Hopefully the weather will be nice, you never know at this time of year.

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I was reading some old newspaper articles from our small town from 1918-1920 that I found online. Our small town now has a population of about 200, but back then they had a revival that lasted several weeks, and they had 1400 people attending each night. So many of the small towns in our area are looking pretty sad these days. I wish we could have a revival like that again!

I haven't felt seizurish for a couple months now, thankfully, so the family is starting to let me drive short distances again, yay!

Thursday, October 15, 2015

A few months ago I couldn't find my joy. Here I've been a Christian for 35 years and I still don't know how to find joy? But God is slowly teaching me the secret to joy-- it is to simply abide in Him. Listen to these words of Jesus.

Remain in me, and I will remain in you.

No branch can bear fruit by itself;

it must remain in the vine.

Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

John 15:4

It's amazing, when God wants me to get something he hits me with it over and over till it finally registers, and that's how I've felt lately. Abiding in Jesus brings such rest- it's like we just sit in his hands and relax while he does the work. But it does take total surrender of our will to his. I feel like I'm on the brink of understanding it all, but I certainly haven't mastered it.

"Jesus, I am resting,

Resting in the joy of what Thou art;

I am finding out the greatness

Of Thy loving heart.

Thou hast bid me gaze upon Thee,

And Thy beauty fills my soul,

For by Thy transforming power,

Thou hast made me whole."

~Jean Sophia Pigott~

Sometimes I have felt like having joy is all up to me, like I need to just fix my attitude or something. But I don't have the strength to do that. Thankfully, I think I have been wrong. If I am totally surrendered to God, and am letting Him take total control, I won't have to worry, no matter what happens, because God is completely trustworthy. I just need to be still and let him handle my problems.